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Superbowl 2012 Adverts

So last night the Superbowl happened, sending the USA into paroxysms of sporting superlatives and left most of the rest of us slightly baffled – us Brits woke up to Twitter timelines full of patriots, giants and Madonna, like some strange proto-Christian fairytale. But the game itself is only part of the whole Superbowl shebang, with brands shelling out on average $3.5 million for 30 seconds of airtime. Here’s our look at nine of the best ads which interspersed the on-field action…

First up a nice twist on the man vs cheetah theme from Hyundai which shows just how effective a short, simple idea can be…

Next up, this effort from cards.com, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea but the crooning head made me giggle so it makes the cut..

Arguably the most anticipated spot of last night, our very own David Beckham in his pants. Interesting choice of music, we think it kind of works…

This Toyota reinvention ad is a bit hit-and-miss but is GREAT when it hits the spot, such as with the pizza curtains and the Lionel Richie blender..

The most daring of the ads shown last night, First Bank proved their commitment to customer service by showing a deliberately dull promo giving fans a chance for a toilet break…

Up there with the Becks’ pecks, the idea of MAtthew Broderick riffing on his most famous role got a lot of hype, with one or two beautiful moments to justify it. “Broderick, Broderick….”

There were several Chevy spots aired last night, but for unashamed high-octane thrills this is pleasingly straightforward…

Pepsi got a lot of attention for this Elton John based effort, but for our money this cheeky sideswipe at its rival was a far more interesting offering

And finally flash mobs in adverts is not a new thing, but this is done really well and has a good sporting link sure to resonate with many of the fans last night…

All in all perhaps not a vintage year, but a good snapshot of where mainstream advertisers are at the moment, with an eye on viral hits as well as the main event.

In 2012, Channel 4’s Paralympic Games campaign, Meet the Superhumans raised awareness and understanding of disability in sport and helped London 2012 Paralympics become the first Paralympic Games to sell out. The broadcaster took Paralympic sport to another level and it was through its striking 90-second TV ad that they achieved this.

London-based ad agency CHI & Partners has created this compelling and moving spot to mark the 40th anniversary of the Prince’s Trust, known for helping young people aged 13-30 get into education, training and jobs.

Director Henry Alex Rubin has directed adverts for brands such as Adidas, Volvo, Samsung, AT&T and Coca Cola. His most notable campaigns include Whopper Freakout for Burger King and Pizza Turnaround for Dominos. Having won 30 Cannes Lions, he is in the top five most award-winning commercial directors in the world. His 2008 documentary film Murderball won an audience award at the Sundance Film festival and was nominated for an Oscar. Below he talks us through some of his favourite moments in adverts he has directed.

Earlier this week PrideAM and Diva magazine published the results of a competition inviting agencies to “challenge the hetero norms” and raise the profile of LGBT people in advertising. The winners, Drum and Iris, re-invented well-known campaigns with lesbian couples as the stars. Scott Knox, founder of PrideAM (Pride in Advertising and Marketing), the first LGBT+ group for the advertising and marketing industry, and MD of the Marketing Agencies Association, spoke to It’s Nice That about how the results could promote diversity.